Signaling and advertising apparatus.



N0. 65I,387. v Patented Iune |2, I900.

D. J. RICHARDSON '81. A. T. SMITH.

SIGNALING AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 1a, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l.

W/TNESSES Z/Z/% I s.

.. v By I I l Ll I I ArrcRA/Enr No. 65l,387. Patented lune I2, I900. D. J. RICHARDSON &. A. T. SMITH. SIGNALING AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 18, 1899.) V (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

/ ATTORNEYS WITNESSES mz-uonms PETERS co. pncTo-Llma. wnsume'rou. u. c.

' r r J Nt'rnn STAT S PATENT FFICE.

DANIEL J. RICHARDSON, OF DUNELLEN, JERSEY, AND ALEXIS T. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGNALING AND ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,387, dated June 12, 1900.

Application filed August 18,1899. Serial No. 727,650. (No model.)

,To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL J. RICHARD- SON,residin g at Dunellen,in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, and ALEXIS T. SMITH, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling and Advertising Apparatus, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to signaling and advertising apparatus, and has more particular reference to an apparatus of this class designed to be mounted in a railway-car and to be actuated bya stop device located upon the railway-bed or otherpartof the railway equipment.

This apparatus comprises a movable scroll or sign upon which advertisements may be placed or in lieu thereof a series of names of streets or stations along the route of the railway.

Our invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which like reference characters denote like parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus constructed according To our invention and mounted in a box or casing which is shown horizontally sectioned. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a railway-bed provided with a stop device which forms part of our invention; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, said casingbeing vertically sectioned; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of a conduit and a portion of our apparatus designed to be secured to the under portion of a car and operating within said conduit; and Figs. 5, 6, 7, and S are views or details of construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, we have shown at 8 a rectangular box or casing in which are secured at either end thereof a pair of standards 9 and 1O, provided with longitudinally-slotted heads 11, in which are mounted end bearings 12 of record-rollers, respectively 13 and 14. Coil-openings 15 are fitted into the slotted heads 11 and operate of a street, and it is evident that by turning one of the record-rollers to wind the corre sponding end of the scroll thereon the opposite end of the latter will be unwound from the other record-rollers. The box 8 is provided witha front opening 17, through which the legend upon the scroll may be displayed.

A pair of standards 18 is mounted adjacent each of and between the rollers 13 and 14, and mounted in each is a shaft 19, and to each of said shafts is secured a friction-roller, respectively 20 and 21, which operates in connection with the scroll 16 upon the rollers 13 and 14. One end of each ofthe shafts 19 (said ends being adjacent the same edge of the scroll 16) is provided with a fixed gear-wheel 21. A pair of slotted ways 22 are secured to the back of the box 8*, adjacent each of the I gears 21, and mounted in each pair is a slide,

respectively 23 and 24, and mounted upon each slide is a standard 25, in which is fixed an inwardlydirected stub shaft 26, upon which is mounted a spring-drum 27 and a loosely-mounted gear-wheel 28, the springd'rum operating to rotate said gear when not detained by means of a pawl 29, pivoted to the slide 23 or 24, as the case may be. This pawl takes into a single notch in a rim 30, secured to the casing of the spring-drum 27, which latter revolves with the gear 28, and the pawl 29 is mounted above the said springdrum 27, being normally in engagement with said recessed rim under the influence of gravity. The gears 28 maybe moved to engage and lock with the gears 21 by shoving the slides 23 and 24 by means of the apparatus about to be described.

A gear-Wheel 31 is mounted upon a stubshaft 32 at one side of the rear of the box 8, and 'a lever-arm 33 is also centered upon said stub-shaft and extends at either end in proximitywith the slides 23 and 24, where it is connected therewith by means of pivoted links 34. Catch-arms 35 are pivoted to the back of the box 8, adjacent the lever-arm 33 and also nearer one end than the other, as at 36, that the catch-heads 38 may normally be elevated, said catch-heads being formed, respectively, upon the lower and upper face of said catch-arms, so that gravity shall operate one upwardly into operative position and the other downwardly. Pins 39 are secured to the rear surface of the lever-arm 33 adjacent to the catch-heads 38, in connection with which they operate. A coil-spring 40 is connected with and eccentric of the leveuarm 33 and also with the gear-wheel 31.

Adjacent the gear-wheel 31 is mounted a roller-gear l, which meshes therewith, adjacent and meshing a third gear-wheel 42, keyed to a horizontalstub-shaft 43, upon the upper end of which is loosely mounted a fourth gear-wheel 44 and a fifth gear-wheel 45, each of which is provided upon one face with a circular ratchet-plate 47 and a springpawl 46, said ratchet-plates and pawls operating to allow said gearwvheels 44 and to rotate each in one direction independently of the shaft 43.

Arranged upon the edge of the scroll 16, next adjacent the gears 44 and 45 and adjacent either end of said scroll, are gear-racl s 48 and 49, respectively, one of which is shown in Fig. l of the drawings and both of which are shown in Fig. 3 thereof. The racks 48 and 49 are mounted in different vertical planes, the rack 48 operating in connection with the gear-wheel 44 and the rack 49 in connection with the gear-wheel 45 to turn the same and the stub-shaft 43 in opposite directions. Secured to the scroll edge adjacent one end of each of the racks 48 and 49 is a stop 50, and these stops engage the catcharms 35 just as the racks 48 and 49 cease to operate the gears 44 and 45, as above described.

Secured to upper portion of the box 8* is a coil-spring 52, and connected therewith, extending through the bottom of said box, is a cord 53, to which are secured a pair of stops 54 and 55, and when either of the slides 23 and 24 is moved inwardly one of three stops will be in position to engage the dog 29 of the spring-drum rim 30 thereof.

Secured to the bottom of the car in which the present apparatus is installed is a casing 56, in which is pivoted upon a transverse pin 57 an operating-lever 58, to the upper end of which the lower end of the cord 53 is secured, and said lever 58 is adapted to ride at its lower end within the cable-conduit 59 of a cable-road, wherein it is laterally deflected, as at 60, to engage a fixed stop 61, connected with said conduit 59.

The operation of the apparatus above described will be evident from the foregoing de scription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement thereof.

The spring-drums 27 are wound up in the usual manner and the slides 23 and 24 set according to the directions of run of the car, the

gears 28 and 21. meshing toadvance the scroll 16 when actuated intermittently by the c011- nected spring-drum. As shown in Fig. 1, the slide 24 is in operative position, and if the operating-lever 58 be oscillated by the stop 61 to draw down the cord 53 the stop 54 therein will engage the dog 29 of the spring-drum 30 and oscillate it instantaneously, allowing the spring-drum to turn the rim 30 and operate the gears 20 and 21, turning the record-roller 14 and advancing the scroll 16 to display a new street-name or other symbol. The dog 29 immediately drops by gravity and arrests the rim 30 after one revolution thereof. As shown in Fig. l, the rack 48 is in mesh with the gear-wheel 44, beginning to turn the same, and if the scroll be moved slightly farther upwardly the train of gears 44, 42, 41, and will put the spring 40 under increased tension, straining the pin 39 against the catchhead 38. When the scroll 1 6 advances so as to cause the stop to engage the catch-arm 35, the catchhead 38 will be withdrawn from said pin and the spring 40 will move outwardly the slide 24 and move inwardly the slide 23, causing its gear to mesh with the gear 21. of the corresponding record-roller '20 and brings the dog 29 of the corresponding springd rum. 30 into the path of the stop upon the cord 53, also causing the pin 39 upon the adjacent end of the lever-arm 33 to engage the adjacent catch-head 38.

If it be desired to move the scroll 16 independent of the apparatus described, this may be done by simply turning the friction-rollers 13 and 14 or one of the same.

The stop 61 is preferably arranged within the conduit 59 in the case of using the described apparatus as a railway signaling apparatus at a point just beyond the station or street previous to the one to be indicated.

In Fig. 6 is shown atrolley-wire 62, supported by cross-wires 63, from one of which depends a fixed stop 64, which a device connected with a trolley-arm of a trolley-car and the cord 53 may engage to operate the apparatus described.

In. Fig. 2 is shown a set of railway-rails 65, mounted upon ties 66, to one of which, adjacent the rails, is secured a stop 67, which serves as a substitute for the stop 61 in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 7 is shown a star-shaped rotatable stop 68, which may be substituted for any of the stops 61, 64, and 67, it being pivoted centrally, and which is provided upon one of its arms with a lug 69, which normally engages a fixed projection 70. When the operating-lever 61 strikes one of the arms of the star-shaped stop 68, so as to move the lug 69 from the projection 70, as in a reverse movement of the ear, the arms would be swung around one by one and a corresponding number of cars returning would be necessary to bring said stop into operative position, hence obviating actuation of the apparatus upon cars backing up or running in the wrong direction.

It is evident that many changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the spirit of our invent-ion.

Having fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An apparatus of the class described,comprising a casing adapted to be mounted in a railway-car, a pair of rollers mounted therein, a scroll passed about said rollers, a pair of spring-drums movably mounted adjacent said rollers and operating with gears which operate in connection with gears mounted upon said rollers, a fixed device mounted upon the road-bed or other part of the railway, means mounted upon said car for engaging said fixed device to set into motion one of said spring-drums,said scroll and said casing being provided with devices which operate to connect and disconnect said spring-drums and said rollers upon the movement of said scroll, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of record-rollers mounted in a casing adapted to be secured in a railway-car, a scroll Wound thereon, a pair of friction-rollers, mounted adjacent said record-rollers, a pair of slides movably mounted adjacent said friction-rollers and provided with means for operating said friction-rollers, an elasticallymounted cord passed through said casing and provided with devices for intermittently operating said operating means, a pivotallymounted lever-arm pivotally connected with said slides, devices for locking said leverarm, and means connected with said scroll for moving said lever-arm substantially as shown and described.

3. An apparatus of the class described,comprising a casing provided with a pair of rollers, a scroll passed thereabout, a slide movably mounted adjacent one side of said scroll and provided with means for actuating said scroll, tension devices for moving said slides, and a pair of gear-racks connected with the edge of said scroll and adapted to release the same, substantially as shown and described.

4. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a movably-mounted scroll, means for moving the same and arranged to be intermittently operated by stop devices installed in connection with a railway, and means for reversing the movement of said scroll, and operated by the movement of said scroll, substantially as shown and described.

5. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a casing adapted to be mounted in a railway-car, ascroll movably mounted in said casing, two motor devices arranged to be operatively connected with said scroll to move the same in respectively opposite directions, means operated by the movement of said scroll for operatively connecting and disconnecting the same with said scroll, said motor devices being arranged to be alternately operated by a stop device installed in connection with a railway, substantially as shown and described.

6. An apparatus of the class described, com prising a casing, a movable scroll mounted therein, two adjustable motor devices arranged to be operatively connected with said scroll and arranged to be operated by a stop device installed in connection with a railway, a shift device for adjusting said motor devices, and devices connected with said scroll for operating said shift device, substantially as shown and described.

7. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a casing, a movable scroll mounted therein, two adjustable motor devices arranged to be operatively connected with said scroll and arranged to be operated by a stop device installed in connection with a railway, a shift device for adjusting said motor devices, and consisting of a tensionally-actuated lever pivotally connected with said casing and with each of said motor devices, a pair of gears operatively connected with said lever and each arranged to operate said lever when moved in one direction, and a pair of racks connected with said scroll, substantially as shown and described.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a movable scroll, a motor device adj ustably mounted and arranged to be operatively connected therewith, and means for operatively connecting and disconnecting said motor device, comprising a tensionally-aetuated lever pivotally connected with said motor device, a gear operatively connected with said lever, a catch-arm arranged to engage said lever to maintain it against the stress of the tensional member thereof, devices connected with said scroll whereby said stress of tension is increased, and devices connected with said scroll, whereby said catch-arm is freed from said lever, to allow the same to shift said motor device, substantially as shown and'described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as ourinvention we have signed our names, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 14th day of August, 1899.

DANIEL J. RICHARDSON. ALEXIS T. SMITH.

Witnesses:

O. O. OLSEN, M. M. COOPER. 

